Connecting through LAN

  • Hello. I am inexperienced in networking and I apologize if this question is very simple to answer.


    What I am trying to achieve is connecting a machine running OMV to my PC using an ethernet cable. If I try to do this, my PC simply sees it as an undentified network. I also get an error, ''Local area connection doesn't have a valid IP configuration''. Windows 7.
    I want to know whether it is possible to configure the devices so the network is functional.

  • I forgot to mention, it works if I connect it through a router. But if possible I'd like to try skipping the router, because I don't need any other device on the network connected to it but my PC.

  • Both Linux and Windows can work fine without a DHCP server, this was called APIPA last century and is currently known as 'ZeroConf': https://support.microsoft.com/…ing-without-a-dhcp-server


    In case there's no DHCP server and both devices are directly connected they choose both an IP address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range and can access each other. Problem is: How do they find them. Next problem: I know close to nothing about Windows as client so can't help here.


    On the OMV server after installing the avahi-autoipd package everything should work as expected. But no idea how recent Windows deals with ZeroConf stuff.

  • Thanks for the info tkaiser. I'll have a look at configuring it without a dhcp server. However, I need to to have my PC connected to the internet through a router as well, which means I'll have two networks connected to my PC. It might cause problems.


    I connected the two devices using a cat5e patch cable. The NICs on the motherboards of the two machines are identical - Realtek 8111F, gigabit compatible.


    I might just connect the device to a router after all, since I'll have to find a way to share internet to the OMV machine after as well. But, I'm just curious whether a set up like this is possible.

  • I'm just curious whether a set up like this is possible.

    It is possible but without some knowledge about the various protocol layers involved the easy way would be to not change the topology and if performance is a concern adding a small and dumb GbE switch to the setup (connected to the router and both hosts).


    With two network cards in your Windows box you can one connect to the router and use the other with APIPA. If there's something in Windows like in macOS then it would be even easier. In macOS there's 'Internet Sharing' which is basically just a settings that tells the OS to share network connection A with hosts behind network connection B (both can be of any type eg. Wi-Fi or LAN). Then the OS starts an own DHCP server on the network the hosts that should share the connection are behind and everything including 'service propagation' (the OMV host appearing automagically so that one can clock on its icon and 'is in') and setting up routing tables works (I do most performance tests this way with my MacBook).


    But as already said: I'm a 'Windows as client' noob so this is of not much help for you other than the recommendation to get a small GbE switch if the router is a bottleneck (I would choose the cheapest 5- or 8-port TP-Link available -- they all implement EEE in the meantime so combined with short CAT5e cables the added consumption is minimal)

  • Internet Connection Sharing is a feature that has been included in Windows since Windows 98 SE. However Windows sucks, and I would not want the network for my NAS to rely on a Windows machine to be up. I would definitely get a switch so your OMV box can be online while your Windows box is rebooting.

  • What I am trying to achieve is connecting a machine running OMV to my PC using an ethernet cable. If I try to do this, my PC simply sees it as an undentified network. I also get an error, ''Local area connection doesn't have a valid IP configuration''. Windows 7.

    On the OMV server after installing the avahi-autoipd package everything should work as expected. But no idea how recent Windows deals with ZeroConf stuff.

    How do you feel about using static IP addresses on both sides instead of APIPA and all of that stuff?


    Is there a special reason to avoid an direct internet connection of your OMV box? There a several advantadges if it is connected (send emails, connect to a time server and so on). I also would not use a Windows machine as Internet access point.

    OMV 3.0.100 (Gray style)

    ASRock Rack C2550D4I C0-stepping - 16GB ECC - 6x WD RED 3TB (ZFS 2x3 Striped RaidZ1) - Fractal Design Node 304 -

    3x WD80EMAZ Snapraid / MergerFS-pool via eSATA - 4-Bay ICYCube MB561U3S-4S with fan-mod

Jetzt mitmachen!

Sie haben noch kein Benutzerkonto auf unserer Seite? Registrieren Sie sich kostenlos und nehmen Sie an unserer Community teil!